Everlasting Arms  

If I lean on God’s everlasting arms what do I have to fear?  Nothing.  He is my refuge in times of trouble, He is my source of strength when I am weak.  I praise Him in everything. 

When I was growing up we sang a beautiful hymn entitled “Leaning On the Everlasting Arms.”  This song became engraved on my heart and I remember the verses to this day.  I can still hear the music in my mind as I sing the words.

When I was young and singing these words in church I didn’t understand their true meaning.  At that time they were just words with music.  These days I totally understand the significance of God’s everlasting arms. 

Our arms are considered a source of strength.  They can lift things, give direction and even harm others in anger.  If we think of our arms as a source of strength, think about what God’s arms mean.  His arms never grow weary, they never lose their power and they are everlasting. 

This always reminds me of the story of Moses when the Amalekites attacked the Israelites.  He told Joshua to choose some men to go and fight the Amalekites.  Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill and as long as Moses held up his hands the Israelites were winning, but when he grew tired and lowered his arms the Israelites started losing.  Because Moses arms grew tired he had to have Aaron and Hur on either side of him to hold his hands up.  Joshua eventually overcame the Amalekite army through the strength that God gave Moses in his arms to hold his hands above his head.  Why did God do this?  I believe he wanted everyone to know that it wasn’t Moses strength but God’s. 

When I think of God’s arms I think of a strength that never fades.  His arms can hold me forever, for eternity.  Isn’t that what He wants for each of us?  He wants us to lean into Him, lean into His everlasting arms that will never grow weary or lose their strength.  We will be safe and secure in His arms where he brightens our path.  What do we have to dread here on earth that God cannot make right with His strength?  When we leave this earth He will hold us in His everlasting arms. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, today and every day I want to lean on your everlasting arms.  I am weak but you are strong.  If I trust in You and lean not on my own understanding I can be at peace in You.  Thank you Father for allowing me to use Your arms as my resting place.       

    

Scripture:    The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”  Deuteronomy 33:27

A Temporary Assignment

God gives us gifts, graces, and natural talents, not for our own use, but that we may render them to Him.  Their grand use is to be offered in a continual sacrifice to Him; and by this He is most glorified.  Jeanne Marie Guyon

So many times we say that we can't serve God because we aren't whatever is needed. We're not talented enough or smart enough or whatever. But if you are in covenant with Jesus Christ, He is responsible for covering your weaknesses, for being your strength. He will give you His abilities for your disabilities!  Kay Arthur

Do you ever think about your purpose here on earth?  Remember when you were in school and the teacher passed out the homework assignment.  This was a test.  Homework assignments were used to test your skill and knowledge.  If you completed the assignment and if you did it correctly, you received a reward.  That reward depended on how well you completed the assignment.  In the world we live in, we assign a lettering system to grade how well you accomplished the assignment.  You could get an A, B, C, D or F.   

Our life on earth is a temporary assignment and we will be graded on how well we complete the assignment.  God gave each of us talents to share with others.  Our talents are intended to be used to bless others.  How well we handle this temporary assignment will matter in heaven.  If you are talented in art, carpentry, music, math, speaking; the list is unlimited, then God expects for us to use it for His benefit to bless others.

How well are we handling our temporary assignment?  Would we pass or get a failing grade?  The irony of how God blesses us is that when we give ourselves away for others, God gives us more than we ever dreamed.  How well we handle our temporary assignment on earth matters.  It is the most important assignment we will ever receive and there are other’s whose eternal life depends on how well we handle our assignment.   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I don’t always handle my God given assignment well.  There are times when I neglect the talents You gave me in my pursuit of something of this world. Remind me that I am on temporary assignment here and that other’s lives depend on how well I handle the responsibility You’ve given me.  Help me to use my talents to bless others.  I can do all things through You because You give me strength.

Scripture: Serving for God’s Glory

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.  1 Peter 4:7-11

Are We There Yet?    

Heaven is not here, it's There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.  Elisabeth Elliot

When we were kids we would go on trips in the summer and one of the things I am sure my parents got tired of hearing was those little voices from the back seat, (after we had only been on the road for an hour), “Are we there yet.”  We were bored sitting in the car on a long drive and we were anxious to get to our destination.  We had been listening all week to our parents tell us how much fun we were going to have once we got there. 

I started thinking about Heaven today.  We are just passing through this life on earth.  It is not our final resting place.  Too many times I lose focus when I get caught up in the things of this life.  I have to continuously remind myself that I am not home because home is not here.

I wonder if it would make a difference to a child’s life it they heard more about heaven.  Most of the time we are so focused on the things they are doing wrong and we talk so much about the sin they are committing here, that we forget to tell them about a much better place where there will be no sorrow, no pain, no tears.  A place where our heavenly Father joyously looks forward to our homecoming. 

The thing is if I believe in the Heavenly Father and understand that he wants what is best for me and nothing happens on this earth without it going through Him first, then I can be at peace with whatever happens on this earth because this “is not my home and we are not there yet”.  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, in answer to the question, “Are We There Yet”?, no we are not.  I am just a traveler passing through a strange land.  This is not my home and I praise You for creating a better one for me.  I look forward to the day when I can walk through those gates and see the place you have prepared for me.  Thank you for giving me a path to Your door.  Remind me I am not home yet.   

Scripture:   Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.  Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful." And He said to me, “It is done!  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.  He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.  Revelation 21:1-7

Faith In the Right One

Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering.... The love of God did not protect His own Son.... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.  Elisabeth Elliot

In many of my devotionals I will use quotes by Watchman Nee.  I think what I find so interesting about him was the suffering he endured because of his faith.  He studied the Bible and other writings by Christian authors.  He had no formal theological training during his ministry. During his lifetime of ministry in mainland China, he suffered from illness including a stomach disorder, tuberculosis and a heart condition.  In 1952 he was imprisoned at a labor farm for 20 years until his death in 1972.  When he wrote letters in prison he was not allowed to mention the Lord’s name as all of his writings were censored.  In his final letter on the day of his death he wrote the following words: “In my sickness, I still remain joyful at heart.”  Can you imagine making that statement in the midst of illness or imprisonment?

As I read this statement it brought to mind the apostle Paul.  He suffered, was imprisoned, beaten and some of his best writings in the Bible came out of great suffering.  One of my favorite verses comes from Paul’s writings. 

Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I often think one of my biggest weaknesses is not being content with whatever state I am in.  Sometimes I am not content when God provides abundant blessings in my life. The problem is I often overlook the simplest of blessings.  The number one blessing being that I am still breathing and was able to get up this morning. My faith in our Heavenly Father will make the difference in an abundant life through any and all circumstances.  If I am worried about the outcome or what will happen to me next, my faith is not in the Right One.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your Son Jesus, who suffered and died for a poor sinner like me.  Help me to keep my focus on You so that I can rejoice in any circumstance.  Help me to remember that when my faith is on the Right One, that faith will sustain me through any suffering.   

Scripture: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9

God’s Perfect Love

You can operate your business without Christ. You can make it run well. You can raise your family without Christ. You can even pastor a church without Christ. But if you do, you will find that there will be no fruit, no Christlikeness, no manifestation of that beautiful character which arrests the attention of others. Instead there will be a sham, a phony imitation of the real thing, which will drive people away from Christ and will produce nothing but a dull, mechanical religiosity.  Ray C. Stedman

Christlikeness is your eventual destination, but your journey will last a lifetime. Rick Warren

Do you struggle with other people’s imperfections?  I know I do.  The more I get to know God the more I understand how imperfect we humans are in this life.  Our expectations of other people can hinder our relationship with God.

There is only one perfect love and that is God’s love.  When we figure that out, we stop expecting perfection from other people. There was a time in my life many years ago, when I expected Christians to be perfect.  If someone claimed to be a Christian; which means Christlike, then they should live up to my expectation and act Christlike.  The problem is other people are human not God.  So we all fail and make mistakes and hurt other people even in the midst of trying to be Christlike. 

When we figure out that there is not another human being on this earth, except Christ, who deserves God’s love, then we can begin to understand God’s perfect love.  When we learn that we can have God’s love in our imperfectness; we are one step closer to understanding what God’s perfect love is.  I think I am going to start calling myself something different from now on just so other people won’t get the wrong impression that I am Christlike.  My new handle is Sinner.  If I am a Sinner then I am at the bottom and there is nowhere to go but up. 

    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to be Christlike but I so often fail at it.  I want to claim the name of Christian but when I fail at it, I am showing others how not to act.  I think I will claim the name Sinner and work towards Christian.  If I claim to be a Sinner it puts me on equal footing with everyone else in the world.  Thank you for loving this Sinner.   

  

Scripture: Behave Like a Christian

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.  Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21

Foolish & Incompetent or Not

Why God should choose the meanest, basest, most unworthy individuals with absolutely nothing to commend them at all to God, except their miserable, lost condition, and then exalt them to become the sons of God, members of the divine family, and use them for His glory, is beyond all reason and human understanding. Yet that is grace.  M.R. DeHaan

I was studying the apostles and there is something that struck me.  When Jesus prayed for a group to help him spread the Word, he picked a motley crew.  They were not the smartest, richest, wisest or even the easiest to get along with.  They were not the crème de la crème of society.  These guys fought amongst themselves, they lied and they betrayed.

What does this say about this group?  It basically says they were people just like us.  Why would Jesus pray to God the Father for such a group as this?  I think it is because they were so not the types of people we would expect Him to choose.  Otherwise, why would you pick a tax collector or a mere fisherman as part of your Olympic team? 

In our eyes if you really want to win the gold you are going to pick the strongest, most athletic and smartest just so you can get a head start out of the gate.  You certainly wouldn’t pick anyone that everyone dislikes such as a tax collector or a sinner. We also wouldn’t choose a group who argued with each other over who was the greatest.

Let’s look at this from a hypothetical standpoint.  If Jesus walked up to you today and said, “I want you to lose your life so you can gain it and on top of that I want you to drop everything you are doing and follow me.”  What would your response be?  This same scenario applies to us each day.  We must be willing to take up the cross and follow him.  We are no different from this motley crew of misfits.  God can and will use each of us for His glory if we will allow it. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am a misfit just like the apostles.  I pray daily that you will use me for Your glory.  I am not the wisest, smartest or most likely to succeed, but I do have heart.  I pray that You will use me in every way possible in order to bring Glory to You.    

         

Scripture:   As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named  Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Matthew 9:9-13

Childlike

It seems to me, as time goes on, that the only thing that is worth seeking for is to know and to be known by Christ -- a privilege open alone to the childlike, who, with receptivity, guilelessness, and humility, move Godward.  Charles H. Brent

I love to watch children.  They have an innocence about them that is irresistible and their hearts are open.  They haven’t yet experienced the disappointment, tragedy and reality of an adult.  They haven’t been colored by cynicism, hurt or anger. When children dream of what they will be it is normally not something small.  They have the imagination to dream big so their expectations of what they can be are not hindered by the reality of a fallen world.

When I look back on the happiest times of my life the majority of the time my thoughts are centered on childhood memories.  Camping trips, summers with nothing to do but play, riding horses in the evening with my family and floating on inner tubes on the creek with my cousins.  These are the carefree thoughts of childhood. 

Unfortunately, some of our best childhood memories become overshadowed by the hurts of the world.  This becomes our new reality and we grow up.  So we gradually forget or set aside the happiest times and replace them with sorrowful and burdensome events of life.

In Mark 10:14-15 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 

It is difficult to survive the hurts of the world and become like little children again.  Through the hurts of the world we bury our ability to become childlike.  We literally become old before our time.  We should pursue Heaven with childlike fervor because God has created a place where our dreams will be realized. 

If I look forward to heaven with the unlimited ability of God to create such an amazing place for me to live through eternity, then this world I live in now will be but a blip on my journey to heaven.  

I think it is best said by Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven.  “God is big enough not only to fulfill your dreams but also to expand them as you anticipate Heaven.  When you experience disappointment and loss as you faithfully serve God here, remember: the loss is temporary.  The gains will be eternal.  Every day on the New Earth will be a new opportunity to live out the dreams that matter most.”

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I pray for my vision of heaven to be one of amazed wonder at the unlimited possibilities of the home you have created for us.  I want to be childlike in my imagination of what heaven will be like because You promise me wonders beyond my comprehension.     

Scripture:  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 18:2-4